The End of the Road
by rivendale elf
Summary: The war between the Autobots and Decepticons rages on, after one battle the Autobot scout vanishes without a trace and is believed dead. But what happens when he's found alive by Ironhide? Warnings mechpreg, this is AU! Characters will be OOC. don't own
1. Chapter 1

**For a few moments only sounds in the repair bay were cooling fans and heating metal.**

**Then the sound of armor shifting broke the relative silence and Ratchet went to work.**

**Rough voice groaned, but the Medic didn't acknowledge it.**

**He worked silently and with swiftness that said lots about his experience.**

"**So?" The same rough voice asked.**

**Ratchet sighed and then he cursed loudly as there was loud clanking noise… and then a wail split the air.**

"**Would you hold still? I'm trying to take him out without damaging his protoform."**

"**Him?"**

"**It's a mech Ironhde, loud one…" There was a soft clicking noise as Ratchet plugged sparkling transfer cable into Ironhide's medical port and the wailing subsided to be replaced by soft clicking noises. Cooling fans still worked and the armor was still slid apart over the place where Sparkling had been growing inside Ironhide and Ratchet was sure it had to be uncomfortable at least but Ironhide was sitting already, cradling the tiny black and yellow form in his arms.**

"**Thank you Ratchet" The weapon specialist said softly, blue optics never leaving the sparkling.**

"**Are you going to tell me who his other creator is?" He asked, "I see the yellow strips over all the black… and I will never forget THIS particular shade of yellow."**

**Ironhide was silent.**

"**How is that possible? He was declared deactivated…"**

**Ironhide looked at the medic sharply and Ratchet went silent. The black mech seemed to consider his option before finally sighing in resignation and smiling to the tiny mech in his arms.**

"**I trust you not to tell, but you better sit down, it's a long story"**

*******

**Ironhide was with Mirage, Jazz and Jolt as they tracked some Decepticons into a new sector of their galaxy. They found them alright and it wasn't long before they were engaged in a fierce battle. It was surprisingly and worryingly equal, Decepticons responding with fire that was short of taking the Autobots offline, but it wasn't enough, Autobot team destroyed the enemy troops eventually. The victory however was short lived.**

**They were leaving the planet, thinking they were safe when Ironhide found himself being shot out of nowhere. Ironhide would swear later that whichever Decepticon shot him down, he had to have Mirage's cloaking ability. One moment there was an empty space and then there was a gun firing at his spark. It took all the war-experience the weapon's specialist had to dodge the fatal blow and take the fragger out but then Ironhide's systems collapsed one after another, HUD showing warning after warning at him as he plummeted to the planet below.**

**By the time Ironhide hit the ground he was on the verge of stasis lock. The last thing Ironhide saw before going offline, was a yellow, somehow familiar shape.**

**- - - -**

**Bumblebee had come out of his little cave when he saw something entering the atmosphere. What in the name of Primus was that?**

**When Bee scanned the falling object realized it was a Cybertonian, whoever it was had to be injured, or deactivated, falling like that.**

**Moving as quickly as he was able, Bee tracked the mech and was there within minutes of the crash landing.**

**Primus, the armor was destroyed, with a gaping hole in the place of spark and, chalked Energon around the hole but he would know that mech anywhere… it was Ironhide. Bee couldn't find any Energon leaks, the hot entry must have cauterized the lines, but the eerie blue light of Hide's spark, seeping from between his armor and from the hole in his chest meant that his old friend was in shape that was much worse than bad.**

**With some effort Bumblebee had to drag the heavy mech to his cave before getting rid of the drag marks. He had to do something, leaving Ironhide offline was out of the question. It wasn't like he had the tools, but he had to do something.**

**He cursed his slowness, being nowhere near as fast as he used to be, as he moved and scanned Ironhide.**

**Damn he needed help but he knew there was no medic…but there was a mechanic, linking into a secure line a distance away a phone began ringing.**

**Mikaela Banes grabbed her cell phone recognizing the ID. "Hey Bee what's up?"**

**: Mikaela I need your help:**

"**Of course what do you need"**

**:I need you to come to the place with your tools:**

"**Are you hurt?"**

**:I'm not but my friend is, please hurry:**

"**On my way Bee" Mikaela said before hanging up and began packing every tool she had that she may need and hopped on her bike pushing it to get to the alien robot she happened to call friend.**

**Bumblebee tried to do what he could as he waited listening for the sound of Mikaela arriving. It seemed like forever but finally she arrived bringing the bike inside and seeing a very large robot laying there. "What happened to him?"**

"**I don't know he must have been in a battle, you have to help him Mikaela"**

"**I'll do everything I can Bee but I'll probably need your help"**

**The yellow Autobot nodded and stayed ready to assist and cursed hours later when his internal systems were telling him to recharge. He did his best to ignore the warnings.**

**Mikaela worked for hours and went to ask Bumblebee something when she saw the look on his face. "Rest already would you I don't need two of you down"**

**Bumblebee looked at the small human female she was right and reluctantly he nodded and slipped into recharge before his systems forced him to.**

**Mikaela shook her head only taking a break to take care of nature and did all she was able to do until she found out where else there might be damage that she couldn't see. She grabbed the sleeping bag and pillow she kept there and laid down while she waited for one of the two mechs to wake up. She couldn't help but compare the two little things like size difference and the fact that the black one seemed to be packing a lot of weapons. With those thoughts going through her mind she ended up dozing off.**


	2. Chapter 2

Ironhide couldn't remember the last time he felt so bad, one by one most of his systems rebooted, multitude of errors flashing on his display. He onlined his optics warily wondering what the slag had happened.

Confused he looked around where was he? How the slag was he still online? Wait there had been another mech, he was sure of it. He turned his head and a short distance away was the mech in question. Primus, it couldn't be! But it was, it was Bumblebee, the yellow scout had vanished several battles ago. Optimus has sent them out to try and find the bot but they never did, they had all started to assume he had offlined but apparently they were all wrong. He was online, sleeping peacefully. Unless, slag unless they were both offline. But if they was the case why in the pit did his whole body ached.

Ironhide groaned as he attempted to move, his groan waking Bumblebee who, with a small groan of his own, onlined and saw Ironhide awake. Slowly Bumblebee moved, so he was by Ironhide's side.

"Hey Hide, you look like slag."

Ironhide was silent for a few moments as he just looked at the believed offline mech. "Where the slag have you been you slagging piece of scrap?!"

Bee chuckled a little bit, same old Ironhide. "I've been here."

"Where the pit is here?"

"The planets name is Earth, how are you feeling Hide, you were in bad shape."

"And that's another thing I'd love to know, how the slag am I still online, you only know basic first aid!"

"That would be because of me," Came a very distorted Cybertronian answer from a short distance away. Bumblebee lowered his hand allowing Mikaela to step on and raised her up so Ironhide could see her.

"Ironhide allow me to introduce Mikaela, she's one of this planets people and she's the one who repaired you."

"Does she understand our language? " Hide looked incredously at the tiny human

"Barely." Came the organic's reply as she looked at Bee. The moment later Hide got a datapack which included language of this planet.

"This small organic…" He tried out his the new language, it rolled easily out his vocaliser.

"I would advise you not to finish that statement," Mikaela said crossing her arms.

"I'd listen to her, Hide; she's as scary as Ratchet." Bumblebee said in Cybertonian.

Though doubtfully, Ironhide nodded then asked, "Why haven't you returned to us Bumblebee? Or at the very least contacted us."

Bumblebee was silent for a second before speaking "I have my reasons."

"Which are?" The weapons specialist asked.

"None of your concern, Hide."

"The Pit its not, Optimus has had us scouring the sectors looking for you and you've been here on this slagging planet this entire time. Online, in one piece, while the rest of us are thinking your laying somewhere offlined and we can't find your body!"

Bumblebee let some air cycle out of his vents, he knew Ironhide deserved to know why he hadn't returned, why he was just fine letting everyone think he was offline somewhere. "I'm not entirely in one piece Hide, I…I cannot come back. I'll help you get functional but then you have to leave and forget about me." Bumblebee set Mikaela down before he left the cave.

"Oh great going now he wont be back for hours." Mikaela grumbled.

"What the slag did I say" Ironhide asked confused by what just happened.

"He's more injured then you realize."

"What injuries?"

"That's not my place to say," Mikaela said before packing up her things and went to leave. "Tell Bee to call if he needs anything," She said before leaving.

Though in desperate need of recharge Ironhide found the meaning of Mikaela's words eluded him. He couldn't get them out of his processor. Bumblebee looked to be in one piece…so what injuries was she talking about?

Slag! Ironhide was so confused. Thinking, risking a processor ache, he didn't even realize he had slipped into recharge until his sensors picked up a movement.

Pretending he was still recharging 'Hide watched Bumblebee move slowly back into the cave. Ironhide saw Bumblebee groping along the cave's wall before easing down, proving Mikaela' words.

Ironhide wanted to confront Bee, to make him admit, but as he watched the visibly tired friend he thought better of it and decided to wait until morning. After this he slipped into healing recharge again.


	3. Chapter 3

_Bumblebee woke up to the sounds of the birds chirping and singing, it was morning and he was online for another day. Shifting he stifled a groan, his systems protesting. Slag, it was going to be one of those days it seemed, he shouldn't have pushed himself yesterday._

_"You're going to tell me what your injuries are."_

_Bumblebee's head whipped around at Hide's demand. "I told you yesterday it's none of your concern."_

_"The slag it's not…" Ironhide started to say when Bumblebee interrupted._

_"Leave it!" Bumblebee said making himself get up and grabbed a can of oil. "Here, it may not be Energon, but it is better than nothing." Bumblebee said holding the can in front of Ironhide. When the moved his head away, refusing to be fed like a sparkling Bee bit back a groan. "Oh, stuff your damn pride, Ironhide, you need fuel, you can hardly move let alone hold the oil can so stop acting like a sparkling and eat."_

_Ironhide shot Bumblebee a hard look, the smaller bot had apparently developed an attitude._

_For several minutes there was silence between the two mechs, neither backing down on this. Ironhide was going to hold out as long as possible, but his body wouldn't let him; it demanded fuel or it was going to shut itself down. Reluctantly he eventually nodded and seeing a smirk of victory on Bumblebee's face plates, it made him want to shoot the little fragger up to the moon and back._

_Bumblebee watched Ironhide fight his nature about being fueled this way, minutes passed and finally Hide nodded his permission. Bee couldn't help the grin that had spread on his face, he had won this round. Moving closer Bee helped Ironhide drink some of the oil._

_Ironhide shuddered and made a disgusted sound "You've been drinking this stuff? It's vile. "_

_Bee nodded. "It's not high grade, I know, but it serves its purpose."_

_"And what purpose is that? To make you want to purge your tanks."_

_"I know it's bad Ironhide, but it'll help you build your strength back up and it's not like there's any energon here." Bumblebee said and went silent for a few minutes seemingly lost in his thoughts._

_Ironhide considered his options, he knew he had to provoke the scout into telling him about these mysterious injuries that plagued the bot. "You know, the others think your lying offline somewhere."_

_Bumblebee looked away. "What does that matter to me? I can not go back."_

_Ironhide bit back the retort that was about to escape. "Everyone misses you, no one seemed to realize how much you mean to all of us. And poor Optimus."_

_"What about him?"_

_"He'd spent all these precious resources trying to find you and you've been here, you little slagger, sulking! You've got everyone convinced you're offline and they're all grieving for you, and you don't even give a slag. You called me sparkling? Well, it takes one, to know one, you don't even have the decency to tell us your online! No injures can be that bad to keep you from returning, you egoistic, egotistic, GLITCH HEAD!"_

_"What the slag do you know, you old, rusting piece of tin!" Bumblebee snapped. "You want to know why I cannot come back, Fine!" Bumblebee made Ironhide look him in the optics. "My right optic is shot to slag and I have maybe fifty percent visibility in the left one. I cannot hit the broadside of a mountain, because my aim is non existent! I am in constant pain. If I do to much, I pay for it for days with system glitches; add to that a crack at my spark casing and you have useless bot that is not WORTH fixing! Who would want a scout who can hardly see or hit anything. I am nothing more of a liability…it's better that they think I'm offline, instead of being in a living hell, or what could be worse making them waste resources and time on fixing me!" Bumblebee yelled._

_Whatever Ironhide had been expecting it hadn't been that, all he could do was stare into Bumblebee's sightless optic which he now noticed wasn't as vibrant as it should be. Ironhide couldn't even begin to imagine what Bumblebee was going through. Could hardly see, couldn't hit anything…being the weapons specialist he was and not being able to see or hit anything, that thought made his spark freeze in terror. "Bumblebee" Ironhide started._

_"No Ironhide, I do not want your pity. This is why I can not return, oh Ratchet would try and repair me I know but to have pity in everyone's optics…no I refuse to go back, nothing can make me go back" Bumblebee said moving away from Ironhide, easing back against the cave wall as some of this systems glitched. With a groan Bumblebee offlined his 'good' optic as pain moved through him._

_Ironhide watched helplessly as the small bot was wracked by pain his servo's digging into the ground. Slowly the small bots body eased and there was a shuttering intake of air as Bumblebe seemed to sage a bit. "Bumblebee" Ironhide said and for a few clicks it looked like the scout hadn't heard him, or was ignoring him._

_"What...?" Bumblebee said weakly._

_"How often does this happen" Hide finally asked._

_"Often..." Bumblebee groaned as a spasm shot through him. "Its just going to worsen...over the next hours...until I finally offline..."_

_"Is there…" Ironhide started to ask._

_"No….no there is nothing…its amazing….how much pain…our bodies can withstand….before it shuts down…" Bumblebee letting out an involuntary whimper._

_Ironhide watched in silence as Bumblebee's systems glitches causing the scout to whimper and groan in pain, he wanted to do something to help but he had no first aide items of any kind he couldn't even sit up to offer a servo to the scout. He felt so fragging useless not being able to do anything to help the scout._

_For hours Ironhide watched as the scout suffered through worsening pain until the scout shuddered once more and was still. For several long moments Ironhide thought Bee had offline for good when he heard a soft intake of air but the bot didn't wake. Knowing he needed recharge he tried to put it off for as long as he could until his systems shut him down._

_Bumblebee was offline for several hours before he woke up feeling, to use a human phrase, like shit. For those first moments Bumblebee was in no pain, feeling like he once used to, before that fateful battle. But then the pain, his constant companion, returned reminding him it was there. Bumblebee whimpered again, before he could stop himself and he trembled as his tanks started to rebel, no…not again… he thought as he managed to scramble out of the cave and purged his tanks of precious fuel. This continued for several minutes until his tanks settled finally and he sagged against the cave's opening._

_Ironhide woke to the sound of retching and moving his head he saw Bumblebee purging his tanks, streaks of Energon among the muddy oil they drunk earlier, Energon that shouldn't have been there._

_Primus that wasn't good, with no Energon to replenish the lost…Ironhide honestly didn't know and didn't want to think on how bad that was, or more like how little time the smaller bot had. Energon was their life blood and if Bumblebee purged his tanks as much as Ironhide was starting to suspect he did…the scout probably didn't have much time left, "Bumblebee." He managed, his Hud flashing with pain warnings as he tried to move._

_"I know what your going to ask…don't. I will not answer it," Bumblebee said slowly moving back into the cave and eased down._

_Hide watched the visibly resigned bot in silence for few next moments. "Can I join the club?" He asked after a short silence._

_Bumblebee was confused and looked at Hide. "What are you talking about"_

_"The club of useless scrap metal" You can't see I can't move, we make a good pair don't you think?" He winked at Bee hoping to somehow lift up the mood._

_In spite of himself Bee let out a snort of amusement. "How do you come up with this stuff" Bumblebee asked before a servo dug into the ground again._

_"I'm just this incredible" Ironhide imitated Sunstreaker sliding his servo over his chassis "So many scratches, I will need new paint job."_

_Bumblebee groaned for more then one reason. "Don't mention that slagging idiot"_

_"Bee for Primus' sake, lighten up, I'm TRYING to make you laugh, stop being obnoxious, If you didn't realize it yet, we are now both in pain, crippled and probably with no way or no will of reaching home. I can accept your choice which is now my fate as well. If we are to spend Primus know how much time together let's not try to make ourselves even more miserable. Now listen because I will NOT repeat this again. Please._

_"You don't get it Hide..." Bumblebee began the stopped for a minute before continuing. "Sunny and I...primus Sunny and I were together once okay and I don't like to even think of him. I know if you weren't alone their going to be looking for you, they will find you"_

_"Okay I'm shutting up now. I see that you are not only blind but deaf as well. I'm going back into recharge as nothing I say will penetrate this thick helm of yours. Wake me up when you will pull your head out of your aft, will you?" Ironhide grumbled, offlined his optics and turned his head pretending to be falling into recharge._

_"Slag you Ironhide" Bumblebee said shooting the weapons specialist a hard look. He tried not to think of the yellow twin that was his first and lover for a time until he treated him as nothing more then a trophy. He really did try but it came flooding back and he punched the wall._

_Ironhide had a passing thought that maybe he was to though on the young bot but really if he decided to leave everyone just like that, even though he could understand why, Bee so deserved that and trusting dear old Sunny? Hide snorted mentally, that was plainly stupid. "Get over it! He sure did!" Hide grumbled under his breath. No he wouldn't mention that Sunny was looking for Bee like no other mech did, Hide was not even sure if he ever gave the little bug up._

_"Was he your first? Did he make you think he loved you before he started showing you off as nothing more then a trophy?" Bumblebee bit out having heard Hide, his sight was slag but his hearing was just fine. "Do you know how degrading that is to be nothing more then..then a pet!? Good I'm glad he's over me because I'm long over him"_

_Ironhide snorted "Oh no he wasn't! Who could be stupid enough to trust the wretched piece of scrap like that... and PLEASE... You got over him? That's the biggest piece of fragging waste I ever heard. If you did you would laugh with me at his expense" Hide turned his head, the earlier threat forgotten. Really how idiotic one can get._

_"I was just entering adult hood and you know damn well how over protective all of you were over me! The slightest thing wrong one of you called Ratchet every slagging time! He hurt me more then you can ever know you hunk of rusting tin. He was the only one who didn't treat me as if I were still a fragile youngling" Bee said remembering when Sunny had come onto him and he had been so young, so stupid he was of legal age for their people and he had been so tired of being treated like he was still a sparkling._

_"Okay so you had your first crush leave you and now you are still getting all teary about it." Now Ironhide had it, he was getting twitchy and his gun mounts were tingling "You should be glad your first lover lives because hey guess what it could be worse. Did you had your lover blown into smithereens before your very optics, did you saw your other lover lost the light in his optics? Did you finally ever felt the breaking of the spark-bond? No? How DARE you whine about your stupid little spark-break, conceited insect-named, screw-less BRAT! "Hide reeled. He remembered all that it were scars on his spark and processor that would never heal but he learned long ago to get over them to not relieve them. It never did any good, getting lost in the past_

_Before Bumblebee could say anything about what Ironhide had said a large spasm of pain shot through him making him arch his backstrut making a sickening sound, he went stiff and whine of pain escaping him as his very spark seemed to be in a vice. His good optic flickered quickly before going off completely and he fell to the ground shaking as spasm after spasm went through him, Bumblebee whimpered and whined as white hot pain shot through him. Arching one more time he then went still, very still._

_'Slag I broke him' was the first thing that run through Hide's processor when he saw Bee go into forced stasis. He didn't even realize that he moved up and crawled to the prone form on the other side of the cave. "Hey little bug don't deactivate on me like that, 'Bee?" He shook the yellow bot and suddenly realized that there was a way to help the scout. Ironhide fiddled with shaking servos with his energon line connector and with a groan of pain tuned Bee onto his back and immediately connected his line into Bee's influx valve on his shoulder. He rerouted his own energon and transferred it into Bee, He had it enough to share, Energon transfusion was the least he could do. but then his hud flashed a red warning that didn't even had time to register in his processor and Hide blacked out._

_Bumblebee wasn't sure how long he had been offline everything felt muddled and he felt this warmth and...a little stronger then he had in some time. How could that be possible? Wait was was he on his back then he saw Ironhide connected to him...energon transfer, oh that stubborn mech. With a slightly unsteady hand he reached up to disconnect Hides line from his shoulder valve but paused for a few moments as he looked at Hide, when had he last seen Hide this close? He couldn't remember but he shook that thought aside and disconnected them putting Hide's line back where it went. "Hide" He said gently._

_The mech groaned something incoherently, something like sounded suspiciously like "Chromia" but didn't wake up._

_"Ironhide wake up your slagging heavy" Bumblebee grumbled as he tried to push the weapons specialist off of him. "Slag it" Bumblebee muttered but after realizing he was stuck with Ironhide partially on top of him he realized...it felt good. Oh the other mech was heavy no doubt about it but that weight felt...right, he realized he liked the feel of Ironhide on top of him. It felt warm and for the first time in.. Bee didn't remember how long it felt like home._

_With a soft sigh Bumblebee managed to shift just a little bit enough to get more comfortable. Out of reflex he wrapped his arms loosely around the other mech, his hand tracing the others back lightly. He had used to do this with Sunstreaker when they were together and would cuddle after interfacing. He knew that compared to Ironhide's experiences, he was just being petty, but he had truly loved the yellow twin, and the way Sunny had begun treating him… it had hurt so badly._

_He remembered that day when he ended it between the two of them. Sunstreaker had acted like if everything was all right._

_***_

_Bumblebee found Sunny in the others quarters doing what else with his spare time? Polishing his armor.. "Sunny," Bumblebee said coming into the room._

_"Hey beautiful," Sunny said with a grin stopping his polishing long enough to kiss the scout._

_"We need to talk."_

_"What about, baby?" Sunny asked still polishing ._

_That had always annoyed him, it seemed like every time he tried to talk to the other, Sunny was always doing something about his paint job or polishing himself. Bee took the rag from Sunny. "Look at me this is important."_

_Sunny let out a frustrated sound and looked at Bumblebee. "Alright fine I'm listening."_

_"Sunny, its over between us. I can't do this anymore."_

_"What!? What the slag do you mean, it's over between us? You do not out of the blue just come and break up with me."_

_"Funny, I just did. Don't tell me you didn't see this coming. I'm sick and tired of you treating me as if I were another of your trophies. When we first got together you were so sweet and loving and now…every time we're out amongst the others your always treating me as I am some great prize that you won. I am not! I refuse to be treated like one any longer. It's over!"_

_"No, your are not breaking up me. That's unfair you never said anything… Bee," Sunny said grabbing Bee's arm when the other tried to leave._

_"Let go of me, Sunstreaker."_

_"No, your not leaving me, Bumblebee," Sunny said possessively refusing to let go of the other._

_"Last chance, Sunny; let me go I am not your property."_

_Still, Sunny would not let him go as he pulled Bee close and kissed him hard._

_For one brief moment Bumblebee kissed back before he pushed Sunny away and hit him hard causing the other to stumble backt. "Goodbye Sunstreaker, it's over" Bee said before turning and leaving the other vowing to never look back._

_***_

_Bumblebee sighed, he hadn't thought back to that day in a long time, as he grew up he learned what kind of mech Sunny really was and he knew now it had been foolish to trust him. He let his processor go idle while he waited for Ironhide to wake up and ever so kindly get off of him._

_The oldtimer did wake eventually, it only took some hours and Bumblebee to start hurting a bit from the weight. _


End file.
